


Splitting Wood

by musikurt



Series: A Macmillan Family Christmas [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Father-Son Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-04
Updated: 2012-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-17 23:32:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikurt/pseuds/musikurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ernie looks forward to spending an afternoon splitting wood with his father every winter; will this time be different since he's revealed his secret?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Splitting Wood

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired in part by a Twitter RP that takes place in a Harry Potter AU.

Ernie had always enjoyed going out to chop wood with his father. One of his earliest memories was going out to the edge of the backyard when he was four or five years old and sitting on a stump while he watched his father split the small logs. Even at such a young age, he knew that they could have charmed the axe and come back to find everything done and neatly stacked, but a quality both his parents shared was occasionally valuing the effort of doing some things yourself. It was also an option to charm the fireplace to burn on its own, eliminating the need for firewood at all. Magic was a wonderful tool in his parents' eyes, but it didn't need to be used for everything in their lives. It wasn't until he got to Hogwarts, that Ernie realized his parents' attitude was a unique one - especially since they both came from pureblood families themselves.

As Ernie fastened his scarf and headed toward the back door, he heard Justin and his mother busying themselves in the kitchen. He was glad that his friend got on so well with both his mother and his father. Being Muggle-born, he thought it would be great for Justin to have parental figures in the magical world that he could turn to if he ever needed. Of course, his mother's words about Justin being perfect for him (if only he was gay) still stung a bit. He had, of course, spent several months wrestling with his own thoughts on the subject and it was only recently that he had really tried to set those desires aside.

He trudged across the snowcover to the corner of the yard. His father had already started splitting and looked up to smile at him as he approached. "Thought you'd forgotten about me, Ern."

"Just making sure Justin was okay with mum for a while," he chuckled and handed over another log.

"Always a good consideration." Mr. Macmillan was a master with the axe, rarely ever missing his intended cut. He slammed it through the log and handed the pieces over to Ernie. "How are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Ernie put the split log pieces on the smaller pile and handed his father another one to chop.

"With everything. You know..." Ernie's father wasn't one who spent a lot of time discussing feelings. Ernie knew he had them and there was never a question about how much everyone in their family loved each other. But there were things he discussed with his mother and then there were things he discussed with his father (and, of course, things he'd prefer not to discuss with any of them).

Ernie shrugged. "Fine, I guess. The hardest part, really, was realizing and admitting it to myself, now that I think about it. Everything else is easy."

His father smiled and handed him the axe. "Want to give it a go?"

"Sure," Ernie traded places with him and set to work on splitting the log.

"I'm really quite proud of you, you know that?" Mr. Macmillan handed him another log and stared at him for a moment. "It can be difficult to be yourself in a world that increasingly wants everyone to be exactly the same. It takes real courage."

Ernie set the axe down on the stump and turned to face him. "Thanks. I don't see myself as a hero of any sort, though. I'm just Ernie."

"You don't have to feel like a hero to be one," his father placed a hand on his shoulder. "It might seem like a small gesture, but you being open about who you are and letting everyone see it doesn't make you any different - that might be just what another young man needs to see to feel good about himself, to know it's all going to be okay."

Ernie shrugged. "I suppose that might be true." He was quiet for a moment. "Though, it's not like I go around introducing myself by saying 'Hi, I'm Ernie Macmillan and I'm a raging homosexual."

His father laughed. "Well, no. But living openly and being proud of who you are doesn't mean having to do that. But it does mean not lying or compromising who you are or what you value. And I'm glad to see that the values your mother and I tried to instill in you - both you and your sister - seem to have taken."

Ernie felt tears starting to well up in his eyes. The weight of everything his father was saying - especially considering this was the first time they'd ever had a conversation like this - suddenly hit him. He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying his best to maintain his composure. "Does it bother you that I won't get married and have children? That I won't be able to carry on the family name?"

"Who says you can't do any of those things?" Mr. Macmillan moved his hand and put his arm around Ernie's shoulders. "Someday you'll meet the right guy and decide you want to spend your life with him -- and if that means marriage for the two of you, that's what it means. And if it doesn't, that's fine, too."

"But--" Ernie knew deep down that his father would never tell him what he thought he wanted to hear. He was one who was either honest or didn't speak at all. But he found it hard to believe there wasn't even the smallest feeling of being let down by the situation.

"I'm not finished," his father continued. "And children? You can still do that. There are ways. Or you can adopt, and I guarantee your mother and I would welcome the child with open arms. Besides, even some straight blokes never get married or have children. I certainly cannot - and do not - blame you if you don't do either or both of those things, especially if they're not for you."

Ernie couldn't fight back his tears any longer. His father pulled him into a full hug and let Ernie bury his face in his chest for a moment. There was a tear slowly rolling down his own left cheek and he wanted to make sure it had run its course before he faced his son again. Even though he was a bit of a progressive father, he still held onto the occasional misguided notion of what it meant to be a strong father and example for his children - and he'd already pushed that limit enough for one afternoon.

Mr. Macmillan smiled as Ernie pulled away. He reached into his pocket and handed him a handkerchief. "So, how's that for a woodchopping peptalk?" They both laughed as Ernie wiped his eyes.

"Best one I've ever had," he smiled and handed his father another log.


End file.
